Excellence at UCT Law

The Faculty of Law, UCT's smallest Faculty, is home to three departments (Commercial Law, Private Law and Public Law) along with many research centres focused on researching Law and contributing to excellence in teaching Law.

The Faculty is also home to an energetic and active student body, with more than 1,100 students at undergraduate and postgraduate level.

Did you know?

Studying Law can feel a bit daunting - some have said that Law can feel like a whole new language. We have compiled some basic information for first-years, on UCT resources, studying tips and tools, emergency phone numbers, who's who in the Law Faculty, information on two Law clinics, and more – in an easy-to-read "Did You Know?"

Enhancing the African focus of the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) LLB degree and altering the way students and staff view law are just two of a few long-term goals that the new Dean of the Faculty of Law, Professor Danwood Chirwa, aspires to achieve during his tenure.

The UCT Faculty Handbooks contain all the information students will need with regard to who is who in a Faculty, the qualifications offered by a particular Faculty, the various academic departments in that Faculty, courses offered - as well as course outlines - and rules for undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. The latest handbooks for 2019 are now available, and the Law Faculty Handbook is available online here.

Why Law at UCT?

Excellence

We attract excellent students from diverse backgrounds, ensuring a rich learning environment. As the smallest Faculty at UCT, with close to 1,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students annually, the rigour of our degree programmes leads to UCT Law graduates being highly sought after, not only in South Africa but also internationally. In addition, the Faculty hosts at least 11 world-class research units, focused on various aspects of legal practice and implementation.

Democracy and Social Justice

At the UCT Faculty of Law we are committed to furthering the goals of the Constitution, and our aim is to develop the next generation of skilled legal professionals who will ensure the maintenance and strengthening of an open, free and democratic South Africa. The Faculty’s mission is to ensure knowledgeable, articulate, skilled and critically-minded graduates able to play an influential role in ensuring social justice here and further afield. Our core objective remains teaching and research, but we are committed to maintaining a clear awareness of the social and global context in which our graduates will find their place.

Theory and Practice

The Faculty’s Law graduates are known for their capacity not only in legal theory, and its application, but also in their achievement of practical experience in law. This is a result of our unique requirement that to graduate, all students must have completed 30 hours of probono community service. It is also a result of the Faculty’s superb moot court facility – where students learn to present legal argument in a court-like setting. It is further a result of the Faculty’s local and international academic and professional networks which ensure that we are able to secure the best opportunities for students to gain experience elsewhere during their student years.